Northampton County Executive Gerald E. Seyfried yesterday said County Council must act quickly on a proposed bond issue or the opportunities it presents may be lost for years to come.

"I'm very concerned that if the bond issue is not carried, ... the chances of getting this done in the next five to 10 years are not very good," he said.

Seyfried's comments came during "County Lines," a program he hosts on Twin County Cable TV. It will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 4.

Council is considering a bond issue that would include $2.5 million to help Lehigh Valley Industrial Park Inc. develop sites in the county, $750,000 for parkland acquisition and $750,000 to purchase the Community Services Building on Broad Street in Bethlehem. The county also plans to refinance some existing debt.

However, some council members have balked at the appropriation for economic development, which went from an idea mentioned in passing to a concrete proposal in less than a month.

Councilman Ronald R. Heckman, while not specifically addressing the LVIP subsidy, has proposed an economic development study by Northampton County Development Corp. to determine which efforts are most deserving of county support.

Council is scheduled to debate the bond proposal tomorrow night, but council President Glenn F. Reibman said April 1 that there would be no vote until some future meeting.

The administration has been pushing for quick approval because interest rates are at their lowest levels in recent history.

Seyfried also said yesterday that the state and federal governments probably will continue shifting more responsibilities on local government. If that happens, he said, "It's going to mean increased taxes. When you're increasing taxes, nobody wants to put money into parks, nobody wants to put money into economic development."

In another matter, Seyfried said he favors establishing a coalition of governments in Lehigh and Northampton counties as a first step to regionalization of services like police and zoning.

Seyfried and 175 other local officials heard about regionalization over breakfast at the Holiday Inn East yesterday. The session was organized by Lehigh Valley Partnership.

Seyfried said the council of governments, led by the Joint Planning Commission of Lehigh-Northampton Counties, could tackle small issues as a trial step. He said, "Politics is the art of compromise. If you can't compromise, you don't belong in government. A lot of people involved in government have never learned that lesson."

The state Department of Community Affairs would be a major funding source for the council of governments. The county also is being asked to help fund the venture, but Seyfried didn't mention a specific figure.